Traffic management for heterogenous networks

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to cell selection of a telecommunication device based on mobility management algorithms for idle mode cell selection routines and handover routines. The mobility management algorithm can utilize the BTS class of the infrastructure equipment to help determine cell selection. The BTS class of the infrastructure equipment can be used to determine the geographic size of the coverage area that the infrastructure equipment provides. These algorithms can be used to help handle mobility management for telecommunication device.

BACKGROUND

A cellular communication network is typically formed between a pluralityof mobile devices, often referred to user equipment (“UE”), and anetwork of stationary infrastructure equipment, often referred to as“base stations” or “node Bs”. Generally described, a mobile servicesprovider will distribute individual infrastructure equipment throughouta geographic area such that coverage areas of the individualinfrastructure equipment overlap. A telecommunication device within thecoverage area of one or more infrastructure equipment can communicateover the cellular communication network.

Telecommunication devices are typically configured to connect to aspecific infrastructure equipment within a mobile network. For example,when a telecommunication device is activated or turned on, it attemptsto connect to infrastructure equipment and register to the location areaof the infrastructure equipment. Registering informs the mobiletelephone network that the telecommunication device can be paged throughthe location area of the infrastructure equipment. In idle mode thetelecommunication device regularly receives messages sent by theinfrastructure equipment in order to detect paging messages indicatingincoming calls and other messages. If the telecommunications devicereceives signals from multiple infrastructure equipment, thetelecommunications device can select infrastructure equipment based onsignal strength.

In many instances, users of telecommunications equipment are mobile. Assuch, the signal strength received by a telecommunications device mayvary greatly depending on factors, such as rate of movement, geographicbarriers, etc. Because most communication networks can provideoverlapping coverage areas for the infrastructure structure equipment,most wireless communication protocols facilitate a handover procedure inwhich a telecommunications device is capable of connecting to differentinfrastructure equipment without losing an existing communicationchannel/connection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages will becomemore readily appreciated as the same become better understood byreference to the following detailed description, when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative telecommunicationenvironment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting illustrative components of atelecommunications device.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative diagram depicting infrastructure equipment inan illustrative telecommunications environment.

FIG. 4A is an illustrative diagram depicting telecommunication device incommunication with a base station in an illustrative telecommunicationsenvironment.

FIG. 4B is an illustrative diagram depicting telecommunication device incommunication with a base station in an illustrative telecommunicationsenvironment.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram depicting handover betweentelecommunication device and a base station in an illustrativetelecommunications environment.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram depicting movement oftelecommunication device in an illustrative telecommunicationsenvironment.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram depicting an illustrative idle modeinfrastructure equipment management routine.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting an illustrative infrastructurehandover management routine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally described the present disclosure relates to cell selection fortelecommunication devices. More specifically, aspects of the presentapplication correspond to the utilization of mobility managementalgorithms in telecommunication networks. Illustratively, the mobilitymanagement algorithms can utilize infrastructure equipmentclassifications provided in communication protocols to help determinecell selection in idle mode cell selection routines and handoverroutines.

In a wireless communication network, infrastructure equipment may beconfigured such that the coverage area for different types ofinfrastructure equipment can vary. The size of the coverage area canalso be referred to as cell size. When the coverage area ofinfrastructure equipment overlap, it may be possible for atelecommunication device to attempt to establish a communication channelto any of the available infrastructure equipment. In conjunction withestablishing or maintaining a communication channel, the infrastructureequipment in a mobile device network can identify characteristics of itsrespective coverage area to the telecommunications device. As will bedescribed in greater detail below, one such characteristic cancorrespond to an identification of a class of infrastructure equipment,which can be referred to as BTS class.

A telecommunication device has at least two modes of operation withrelation to establishing or maintaining a communication channel withinfrastructure equipment. In a first mode, an idle or reselect mode, thetelecommunication device can select from among infrastructure equipmentto establish a communication channel. In embodiments in which two ormore infrastructure equipment may have overlapping coverage areasrelative to a particular telecommunication device, the telecommunicationdevice can select or prioritize from available infrastructure equipmentbased on implementing a mobility management algorithm.

Illustratively, the mobility management algorithm can select orprioritize infrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on the sizeof the coverage area associated with the infrastructure equipment, whichmay be generally referred to as the size of the infrastructure equipmentThe size of the coverage area can be defined to the telecommunicationsdevice based on a BTS class associated with the infrastructure equipmentthat is transmitted to the telecommunications device. More specifically,in one embodiment, BTS class identifiers can be defined in terms of aset of identifiers that correspond to the various BTS classes ofinfrastructure equipment, such as a set of identifiers that approximategeographic coverage area of the infrastructure equipment.

In some embodiments, a mobility management algorithm can associateweighted values with one or more of the BTS class identifiers receivedfrom the infrastructure equipment. More specifically, in one example, amobility management algorithm can utilize weighted values to influenceor bias selection of infrastructure equipment associated with a specificBTS class identifier. In another example, the mobility managementalgorithm can utilize weighted values to create a general bias relatedto general properties associated with multiple BTS class identifiers. Inaccordance with this example, an illustrative mobility managementalgorithm can utilize weighted values that will influence the selectionof infrastructure equipment associated with a number of BTS classidentifiers for smaller cells rather than BTS identifiers associatedwith larger cells. In a further example, the mobility managementalgorithm can dynamically weight values associated with BTS classidentifiers based on movement speed of the telecommunication device. Inaccordance with this example, the mobility management algorithm canadjust a weighted value for a larger cell if a movement speed associatedwith a telecommunication device exceeds a threshold. In still furtherembodiment, the mobility management algorithm can determine selection ofinfrastructure equipment based on BTS class identifiers and othercriteria, such as signal strength, signal quality, data rate, the numberof connected users and other quality of service indicators.

In a second mode with relation to establishing or maintaining acommunication channel with infrastructure equipment, thetelecommunication device can be in an active or connected mode when thetelecommunication device has an active communication channel with thewireless communication network, such as during a voice call or datasession. Illustratively, even though a telecommunication device has atleast one active communication channel, the telecommunication device maybe configured to establish an additional communication channel and causea transition from the previously existing communication channel to thecurrent communication channel, generally referred to as a handover.

In a connected mode, a mobility management service can identifyinfrastructure equipment for handover after a handover request has beendetermined. The mobility management service can select theinfrastructure equipment, based at least in part, on the BTS class ofthe infrastructure equipment. The BTS class information can be providedby a BTS class identifier associated with each infrastructure equipment.In a manner similarly discussed with regard to an idle or reselect mode,the mobility management service can associate weighted values to BTSclass identifiers. The BTS class identifier is one of a plurality ofhandover criteria used by the mobility management algorithm to determinehandover from one infrastructure equipment to another. For example, theweighted values of the BTS class identifiers can be used to create abias for specific classes of cells, or a general bias for smaller orlarger cells. The mobility management algorithm can process the BTSclass and the various handover criteria, such as signal quality, andother quality of service criteria, in order to select an infrastructureequipment for handover.

Although aspects of the present disclosure will be described with regardto an illustrative telecommunication environment and componentinteractions, communication protocols, flow diagrams and userinterfaces, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that thedisclosed embodiments are illustrative in nature and should not beconstrued as limiting. Specifically, although the term telecommunicationdevice is used in this document, the term represents any type of devicehaving a component for communicating with one or more other devices viaone or more communication paths. Such communication paths can includewireless communication paths (via infra-red, RF, optical, terrestrial,or satellite communication media) and wired communication paths.Additionally, although the present disclosure references atelecommunication device, one skilled in the relevant art willappreciate that a telecommunication device may also be referred to as awireless computing device, a mobile communication device, or a computingdevice. Examples of telecommunication networks and devices are describedbelow. Accordingly, reference to a telecommunication device should notbe interpreted as including any particular functionality or operationnot described in the present disclosure. Still further, although thepresent disclosure is described with regard to specific methodologiesand frameworks for distributing authentication sessions, the presentdisclosure should not be construed to require combination of thedisclosed embodiments or any specific variation unless such combinationor variation is expressly identified.

With reference now to FIG. 1, a block diagram illustrative of atelecommunication environment 100 will be described. Thetelecommunication environment 100 can include a mobility managementservice 140. In an illustrative embodiment, the mobility managementservice 140 may be utilized to implement one or more mobility managementalgorithms to perform infrastructure equipment handover managementroutines.

While the mobility management service 140 is depicted in FIG. 1 ascorresponding to a single computing device in the telecommunicationdevice communication environment 100, this is illustrative only. Themobility management service 140 may be embodied in a plurality ofcomputing devices, each executing an instance of the mobility managementservice. A server or other computing device may include memory,processing unit(s), and computer readable medium drive(s), all of whichmay communicate with one another by way of a communication bus. Thenetwork interface may provide connectivity over the network 130 and/orother networks or computer systems. The processing unit(s) maycommunicate to and from memory containing program instructions that theprocessing unit(s) executes in order to operate the mobility managementservice 140. The memory generally includes RAM, ROM, and/or otherpersistent and auxiliary memory. With continued reference to FIG. 1, thetelecommunication environment 100 can include a number oftelecommunication devices 200, each associated with a user. Thetelecommunication devices 200 can correspond to a wide variety ofdevices or components that are capable of initiating, receiving orfacilitating communications over a communication network including, butnot limited to, personal computing devices, electronic book readers(e.g., e-book readers), hand held computing devices, integratedcomponents for inclusion in computing devices, home electronics,appliances, vehicles, machinery, landline telephones, network-basedtelephones (e.g., voice over IP (“VoIP”), cordless telephones, cellulartelephones, smart phones, modems, personal digital assistants, laptopcomputers, gaming devices, media devices, and the like. In anillustrative embodiment, the telecommunication devices 200 include awide variety of software and hardware components for establishingcommunications over one or more communication networks, includingwireless communication network 110, a wired communication network (notshown), or an IP-based telecommunication network (not shown).Illustrative components of a telecommunication device 200 will bedescribed in greater detail with regard to FIG. 2.

In an illustrative embodiment, the telecommunication devicecommunication environment 100 can include a number of additionalcomponents, systems and/or subsystems for facilitating communicationswith the telecommunication devices 200, and/or the mobility managementservice 140. The additional components can include one or more switchingcenters 120 for establishing communications with the telecommunicationdevices 200 via the wireless communication network 110, such as acellular radio access network incorporating one or more wireless airinterface standards promulgated by a standards organization, such as airinterface protocols based on code division multiplex access (CDMA), timedivision multiple access (UEMA), global system for mobile communications(GSM), wireband code division multiplex access (WCDMA), code divisionmultiplex access 3^(rd) generation (CDMA2000), time division synchronouscode division multiple access (UE-SCDMA), wavelength and time divisionmultiple access (WUEMA), long term evolution (LTE), orthogonal frequencydivision multiple access (OFDMA), and similar technologies).Additionally, a wireless network based on the family of IEEE 802.11technical standards (“WiFi”), a wireless network based on IEEE 802.16standards (“WiMax”), a converged wireless telecommunication network suchas Unlicensed Mobile Access (“UMA”), or General Access Network (“GAN”),and other wireless networks. The operation of mobile communicationnetworks, such as wireless communication network 110 are well known andwill not be described in greater detail.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the switching center 120 includes interfacesfor establishing various communications via a communication network 130,such as the Internet, intranets, private networks and point to pointnetworks, generally referred to as the “network.” Although the wirelesscommunication network 110 is illustrated as a single communicationnetwork, one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that thecommunication network can be made up of any number of public or privatecommunication networks and/or network connections. For example, thewireless communication network 110 can comprise a cellular network ofinfrastructure equipment, each having a defined coverage area. Atelecommunication device 200 within a coverage area can connect to theinfrastructure equipment and communicate over the wireless communicationnetwork 110 in accordance with any one of a number of wirelesstelecommunication interfaces.

FIG. 2 illustrates components of a telecommunication device 200, such asa mobile telephone. The telecommunication device 200 may include one ormore processing units 202, such as one or more CPUs. Thetelecommunications device 200 may also include system memory 204, whichmay correspond to any combination of volatile and/or non-volatilecomputer-readable storage media. The system memory 204 may storeinformation which provides an operating system module 206, variousprogram modules 208, such as a mobility management module 212, programdata 210, and other modules. The mobility management module 212 can beconfigured to process mobility management algorithms to selectinfrastructure equipment in an idle mode. The mobility management module212 can utilize information such BTS class identifiers, movement speedof the telecommunication device, user preferences, and other informationto process the mobility management algorithms. The above-enumerated listof components is representative and is not exhaustive of the types offunctions performed, or components implemented, by the telecommunicationdevice 200. One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate thatadditional or alternative components may also be included in thetelecommunication device 200 to carry out other intended functions suchas mobile telephone functions.

The telecommunications device 200 performs functions by using theprocessing unit(s) 202 to execute modules stored in the system memory204. The telecommunications device 200 may also include one or moreinput devices 226 (keyboard, mouse device, specialized selection keys,etc.) and one or more output devices 214 (displays, printers, audiooutput mechanisms, etc.). One skilled in the relevant art willappreciate that additional or alternative software modules and/orhardware components may also be included in the telecommunicationsdevice 200 to carry out other intended functions such as mobiletelephone functions.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the telecommunications device 200may also include a battery 222, one or more types of removable storage216, and one or more types of non-removable storage 218. In someembodiments the device can be connected to an external power source,such as an AC power outlet. Still further, the telecommunications device200 can include communication components 220, such as a cellulartransceiver and a wireless transceiver, for facilitating communicationvia wired and wireless communication networks. As described above, thetransceivers facilitate such communication using various communicationprotocols including, but not limited to, Bluetooth, the family of IEEE802.11 technical standards (“WiFi”), the IEEE 802.16 standards (“WiMax),short message service (“SMS”), voice over IP (“VoIP”) as well as variousgeneration cellular air interface protocols (including, but not limitedto, air interface protocols based on code division multiplex access(CDMA), time division multiple access (UEMA), global system for mobilecommunications (GSM), wireband code division multiplex access (WCDMA),code division multiplex access 3^(rd) generation (CDMA2000), timedivision synchronous code division multiple access (UE-SCDMA),wavelength and time division multiple access (WUEMA), long termevolution (LTE), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA),and similar technologies).

FIG. 3 is an illustrative example of a wireless communication network110 comprising a heterogeneous cellular network of infrastructureequipment 310. As previously discussed, infrastructure equipment can beassociated with a defined coverage area 320. The coverage area may bebased on measured or detected coverage areas based on the placement ofthe infrastructure equipment within the wireless communication network110. In other embodiments, the coverage areas associated withinfrastructure equipment 310 may be manually assigned by the wirelesscommunication network service provider, such as by manufacturer, type,and the like. The infrastructure equipment 310 is configured to providecommunication to a plurality of telecommunication device 200 in thewireless communication network 110. The coverage area 320A is associatedwith infrastructure equipment 310A. The coverage area 320B is associatedwith infrastructure equipment 310B. The coverage area 320A overlaps withthe coverage area 320B. A telecommunication device 200 positioned withina coverage area 320 can communicate through the wireless communicationnetwork 110. A telecommunication device 200 positioned in coverage area320B can communicate with infrastructure equipment 310A orinfrastructure equipment 310B.

Infrastructure equipment 310 may correspond to a fixed station, whichmay be referred to as a base station, an access point, a Node B, eNodeB, or other type of infrastructure equipment, depending on thenomenclature and implementation of various air interface standards.Accordingly, reference to the terms infrastructure equipment, basestation, cell, Node B, eNode B and the like should not be interpreted asnecessarily limited to implementation with a particular air interfacestandard. The infrastructure equipment 310 can be classified accordingto the cell size. For example, in one embodiment, cell size may becharacterized as femto-cell, pico-cell, micro-cell, macro-cell andmega-cell classes. In accordance with this example, macro-cells may beassociated with coverage areas measured by tens of miles and micro-cellsmay be associated with coverage areas measured by miles. Additionally,pico-cells and femto-cells, often referred to interchangeably as smallcells, can provide smaller coverage areas than micro-cells, such ashundreds of meters for pico-cells and meters for femto-cells. Stillfurther, Mega-cells can be satellite-based networks with coverage areasmeasured in hundreds of miles.

Illustratively, cell size can also be characterized or communicated byassociation with by a BTS class. BTS class information can correspond toa standardized set of identifiers that can be used to identify anapproximate geographic coverage area of infrastructure equipment 310. Inone embodiment, the coverage area of the infrastructure equipment 310can vary based on the size and power of the infrastructure equipment.The BTS class information or cell size can be communicated to thetelecommunication device using a BTS class identifier. The BTS classidentifier can be sent from the infrastructure equipment to thetelecommunication device. The BTS class identifiers can be used tofurther differentiate and more accurately reflect the geographiccoverage area associated with the infrastructure equipment or tootherwise facilitate the consideration of different criteria in theselection of infrastructure equipment. For example, the BTS classidentifier could be subdivided into sixteen categories, rather thanfive, ranging from smallest to largest geographic coverage areas. Thenumber or definitions of the BTS class identifiers is not restricted.

In addition to geographic coverage area, infrastructure equipment 310can also be associated with one or more operational characteristics.Operational characteristics of the infrastructure equipment may includepower level, bit rate, signal quality, signal strength, number ofconnected telecommunication device, and other operationalcharacteristics. In some embodiments, BTS class identifiers can beconfigured to convey information about the coverage area of theinfrastructure equipment as well as additional information about theinfrastructure equipment. For example the BTS class identifier couldprovide a bit rate associated with the infrastructure equipment. Inanother example, a BTS class identifier could provide financial costinformation associated with utilization of the infrastructure equipment.In still other embodiments, two or more BTS class identifiers can beutilized to refine or distinguish infrastructure equipment that may havebeen associated with a more coarse coverage area descriptor. Forexample, two or more infrastructure equipment that would be considered“pico-cells” may be characterized into one of a number of BTS classidentifiers.

In an idle mode, a telecommunication device 200 can attempt to connectto an infrastructure equipment to register to the location area (LA) ofthe infrastructure equipment. Registering informs the wirelesscommunication network that the telecommunication device 200 can bereached through the location area of the infrastructure equipment. Inidle mode the telecommunication device 200 can regularly receivemessages sent by the infrastructure equipment, such as paging messagesindicating incoming calls and other messages. The telecommunicationdevice can also determine the availability and power of signals of othernearby infrastructure equipment.

Infrastructure equipment can transmit control messages at regularintervals that are directed to all telecommunication devices within thecoverage area. The control messages can include information about thebase station and its operation. The control message can conveyinformation, such as a BTS class identifier, bit rate provided by theinfrastructure equipment, and other factors defining the power andcapacity of the base station.

In embodiments in which a telecommunication device is geographically inoverlapping coverage areas of two or more infrastructure equipment, atelecommunication device can select or prioritize infrastructureequipment based on a mobility management algorithm. The mobilitymanagement algorithm can be used to determine infrastructure equipmentselection based, at least in part, on the BTS class identifier. Forexample, macro-class infrastructure equipment can have different datarates associated with different infrastructure equipment so there may bevariation between different macro-class infrastructure equipment. Inaddition to the BTS class identifier, cell selection can be based onother quality of service factors, such as signal strength, signalquality, data rate, the number of connected telecommunication device,and other factors that affect quality of service. The BTS classidentifier can provide information identifying a geographic coveragearea and additional information related to the infrastructure equipment310.

In idle mode, the telecommunication device can select or prioritizeinfrastructure equipment in order to establish (or re-establish) acommunication channel. The telecommunication device 200 can use amobility management algorithm to determine cell selection whenpositioned in the coverage areas 320 of two or more infrastructureequipment 310. In this instance, the telecommunication device 200A hasthe option to select infrastructure equipment 310A or infrastructureequipment 310B. The telecommunication device 200B can selectinfrastructure equipment 310A. Illustratively, mobility managementalgorithm processes a number of factors or criteria for cell selection,including BTS class. Other factors can include signal strength, signalquality, data rate, number of connected users, and other parameters thatare used to determine the quality of service.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the coverage area 320A may beconsidered larger than the coverage area 320B. Accordingly, in oneembodiment, infrastructure equipment 310A and 310B are associated withdifferent BTS class identifiers based, at least in part, on differencesin coverage areas. For example 310A could have a BTS class identifierassociated with a macro-cell. Infrastructure equipment 310B could have aBTS class identifier associated with a microcell. Each infrastructureequipment can send the BTS class identifier to the telecommunicationdevice 200. For example, BTS class identifier information may betransmitted with other information, such as in a control messagetransmitted from the infrastructure equipment. The telecommunicationdevice obtains the BTS class information and utilizes a mobilitymanagement algorithm to select or prioritize infrastructure equipment.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B illustrate the wireless communication network 110with a telecommunication device 200 positioned in overlapping coverageareas 320A and 320B. In idle mode, the telecommunication device 200 isprimarily responsible for cell selection or prioritization. The mobilitymanagement module in the telecommunication device 200 can be used toexecute one or more mobility management algorithms. In the instanceillustrated in FIG. 4A, the telecommunication device 200 has selectedthe infrastructure equipment 310A based on execution of a mobilitymanagement algorithm. In the instance illustrated in FIG. 4B thetelecommunication device 200 has selected the infrastructure equipment310A based on execution of a mobility management algorithm.Illustratively, mobility management algorithms can determine cellselection based, at least in part, on the BTS class identifierinformation.

For simplicity, assume that the operational characteristics ofinfrastructure equipment 310A and 310B are the same in the separateembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Based on differences in howa representative mobility management algorithm processes BTS classidentifier information (among other information), the telecommunicationdevice selects infrastructure equipment 310A in FIG. 4A and selectsinfrastructure equipment 310B in FIG. 4B.

As previously indicated, the mobility management algorithms canassociate one or more BTS class identifiers with weighted values. Theweighted values can influence the selection of infrastructure equipmentassociated with different BTS class identifiers by either increasing ordecreasing the likelihood that the infrastructure equipment will beselected. In FIG. 4A, assume that the weight assigned by the mobilitymanagement algorithm for BTS class identifier associated with the largercell 310A is weighted more heavily than the BTS class identifierassociated with the smaller cell 310A. In contrast, and as illustratedin FIG. 4B, assume that the weight assigned by the mobility managementalgorithm for the BTS class identifier associated with the smaller cell310B is weighted more heavily for the BTS class identifier for thelarger cell 310A. In some instances, the telecommunication device 200may select the infrastructure equipment associated with a BTS classidentifier having a lower weighted due to other cell selection criteria,such as quality of service.

The weight associated with a BTS class identifier can be initiallydetermined by a service provider. In some embodiments, the serviceprovider can provide default settings that are provided to thetelecommunication device 200. The weight associated with each BTS classidentifier may also be influenced by a user's preferences. For example,a user may set preferences that cause the weights associated withspecific BTS identifiers to be adjusted. In some embodiments, theweights associated with the BTS class identifiers can be adjusted basedon operational parameters of the telecommunication device, such asmovement speed, user location, or other operational parameter. Forexample, if a telecommunication device is moving at a rapid speed, theweighted values associated with smaller cells may decrease and theweighted values associated with larger cells may increase. In someembodiments, the telecommunication device may adjust weights associatedwith the BTS class identifiers based on predefined geographic positionssuch as “home,” “work,” or other location. In such instances thetelecommunication device may increase the weighted values associatedwith smaller cells.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a handover routine of telecommunicationdevice 200 from a source infrastructure equipment 310C to a targetinfrastructure equipment 310A or 310B. In this embodiment,telecommunication device 200 is connected to infrastructure equipment310C having a coverage area 320C. The telecommunication device 200 ismoving from coverage area 320C into coverage areas 320B and 320A. Thehandover routine can transfer ongoing communication, such as an ongoingcall or data session, from a source infrastructure equipment 310C to atarget infrastructure equipment 310A or 310B. In the handover operationthe mobility management service of the service provider can select orprioritize selection of the target infrastructure equipment. Themobility management service can use one or more mobility managementalgorithms to select or prioritize selection of an infrastructureequipment for handover. In this instance, the source infrastructureequipment 310C will hand over its communications to either targetinfrastructure equipment 310A or 310B. The mobility management servicecan select the infrastructure equipment 310A or 310B, based at least inpart, on the BTS class information associated with the infrastructureequipment. The BTS class information can be provided by a BTS classidentifier associated with each infrastructure equipment 310. Each BTSclass identifier can have an associated weighted value. The weightedvalue associated with each BTS class identifier can be provided by theservice provider.

The BTS class identifier can be one of a plurality of handover criteriaused by the mobility management algorithm(s) to determine handover fromone infrastructure equipment to another. In addition to BTS classidentifiers, the mobility management algorithm can also consider otherquality of service criteria such as signal strength, signal quality, andthe number of connected.

The weighted values associated the BTS class identifiers can be used tocreate a bias for specific classes of cells, or a general bias forsmaller or larger cells. For example, assuming, for simplicity, thatother handover criteria are equal, if the weighted value associated withBTS class identifiers was weighted more heavily for smaller cells, suchas infrastructure equipment 310B, then the infrastructure equipment 310Cwould handover communication to infrastructure equipment 310B. However,if the weighted values of the BTS class identifiers were weighted moreheavily for a larger BTS class, such as infrastructure equipment 310A,then infrastructure equipment 310C would handover communication toinfrastructure equipment 310A.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram depicting movement oftelecommunication device 200 in an illustrative wireless communicationsnetwork. The mobility management algorithm can use movement informationor data, such as movement speed of the telecommunication device 200, toselect or prioritize an infrastructure equipment in an idle modeselection routine and during a handover routine. The mobility managementmodule 212 on the telecommunication device 200 can perform one or moremobility algorithms in an idle mode routine. In the handover routine themobility management algorithm(s) can be performed by the mobilitymanagement service 140. In some embodiments the mobility managementalgorithm can use movement data to determine a velocity vector. In someembodiments, the movement data is GPS data. The GPS data can be used tocalculate an approximate movement speed.

In this instance the telecommunication device 200 is moving fromPosition A to Position C, with a transitory Position B. Position Brepresents that transitory position of the telecommunication device 200when it is positioned in overlapping coverage areas 320A and 320B. InPosition A the telecommunication device 200 is only in coverage area320A and in Position C the telecommunication device 200 is only incoverage area 320A. The mobility management algorithm can utilize theBTS class identifier and movement data from the telecommunication device200 for selection of the infrastructure equipment 310. For example ifthe telecommunication device 200 is moving from position A to positionC, the mobility management algorithm could use movement speed as acriteria for idle mode selection and handover routines.

The BTS class identifiers can be used by the mobility managementalgorithm to determine the approximate geographic coverage areaassociated with the infrastructure equipment. For example,infrastructure equipment 310B has a smaller geographic coverage area320B and would have a different BTS class than infrastructure equipment310A that has a larger coverage area 320A. Movement speed can be used tohelp reduce unnecessary switching between infrastructure equipment whenthe telecommunication device is passing through the coverage areas ofsmaller infrastructure equipment. Generally, there is an inversecorrelation between the movement speed and the size of the cell. As themovement speed increases the telecommunication device will be lesslikely to transition from a larger cell to a smaller cell. In someembodiments, the weighted value associated with a BTS class identifiercan be dynamically adjusted based on the movement speed of thetelecommunication device 200. In some embodiments, thresholds can beused to adjust the weighed values of the BTS class identifiers based onthe movement speed of the telecommunication device 200. For example, thethreshold could be a movement speed of 50 miles per hour. In accordancewith this example, if the telecommunication device is moving at 50 milesper hour from Position A to Position C, the weighted value of the BTSclass identifier associated with 310A would be increased and theweighted value of the BTS class identifier associated with 310B would bedecreased.

In some embodiments, the movement data can be used as an initialdetermination, such as a threshold, to determine whether or not toconsider a handover request from another target infrastructureequipment. Generally, the movement speed of the telecommunication devicecan be used as an initial threshold to determine whether thetelecommunication device 200 would switch from a larger infrastructureequipment to a smaller infrastructure equipment. For example, if atelecommunication device is moving at a speed greater than a thresholdspeed then the telecommunication device will not transition to certaincategories of BTS classes, such as, for example, a pico-cell or smaller.The mobility management algorithm can utilize one or more thresholds.

In another embodiment the mobility management algorithm can calculate avelocity vector based on the movement data of the telecommunicationdevice 200. The velocity vector can have a direction and a magnitudethat can be used to predict movement of the telecommunication device200. The mobility management algorithm can use the velocity vector topredict the amount of time that a telecommunication device 200 would belocated in overlapping coverage areas. For example, a velocity vectorcould be used to predict the amount of time that the telecommunicationdevice 200 would be located in overlapping coverage areas 320A and 320Band adjust the weighted values associated with the infrastructureequipment 310A and 310B accordingly. In one embodiment the mobilitymanagement algorithm could use a threshold to determine whether thetelecommunication device 200 would spend a sufficient amount of timewithin overlapping coverage areas before processing the idle modeselection or handover routines.

The algorithms associated with handover and idle mode routines can bedifferent and can depend on multiple factors that are not the same. Assuch, the weighted values associated with handover routines can bedifferent than the weighted values associated with idle mode routines.In some embodiments, movement data can be an additional factor in themobility management algorithm. In some embodiments, the movement datacan be used to adjust the weighted values associated with each BTS classidentifier.

FIG. 7 is an embodiment of a flow chart for an idle mode infrastructuremanagement routine 700. Illustratively, the routine 700 can be performedby the mobility management module 212 on the telecommunication device200. The routine 700 can be used to determine the selection ofinfrastructure equipment in idle mode by a telecommunication device 700.

At block 702 the telecommunication device receives data from a pluralityof infrastructure equipment, including a BTS class identifier associatedwith each infrastructure equipment. The BTS class identifier can includeone or more characteristics about the infrastructure equipment. Forexample the BTS class identifier can identify the BTS class associatedwith the infrastructure equipment. In some embodiments the BTS classidentifier can provide additional characteristics, such as a data rateassociated with the infrastructure equipment. The data received from theinfrastructure equipment can also include operational characteristicssuch as power level, bit rate, signal quality, signal strength, numberof connected telecommunication devices, and other operationalcharacteristics.

At block 704, the mobility management module can, optionally, utilizemovement data associated with the telecommunication device, such as amovement speed. The movement speed of the telecommunication device canbe determined using movement data, such as GPS data and/or anaccelerometer data. In some embodiments the mobility management modulecan also predict movement based on the movement data. For example, inone embodiment the mobility management module can calculate a velocityvector having a movement speed and a direction.

At block 706 the mobility management module can, optionally, consideruser preferences stored on the telecommunication device. The userpreferences can include settings or preferences, such as preferences fora BTS class, data rates, and/or connection types. For example a user mayhave user preferences to bias toward larger or smaller infrastructureequipment, or bias towards a BTS class with higher data rates.

At block 708 the mobility management module utilizes a weighted valueassociated with each BTS class identifier. The weighted valuesassociated with each BTS class identifier can be determined by theservice provider, data stored in the telecommunication device, or othersource for determining the initial basis for each weighted value. Theweighted values of the BTS class identifiers can be used to create abias for specific classes of cells, or a general bias for smaller orlarger cells. The weighted values can be based on cost, data rates,network traffic, user subscription plans, or other criteria. In someembodiments, the weighted values associated with each BTS classidentifier can be updated periodically by the service provider. In someembodiments, the infrastructure equipment can be ranked according to theBTS class.

In some embodiments, movement data associated with the telecommunicationdevice can be used to adjust the weights assigned to each BTS classidentifier. In some embodiments, the mobility management algorithm(s)can take movement data into account without adjusting the weightsassociated with the BTS class identifiers.

In some embodiments, the user preferences can be used to adjust ormodify the weights associated with each BTS class identifier. In oneembodiment the weighted values associated with the BTS class identifiersare modified based on the user preferences. In another embodiment theuser preferences can provide another criterion that the mobilitymanagement algorithm uses to select the infrastructure equipment in idlemode. In some embodiments a user has no influence on the weighted valuesassociated with the BTS class identifiers.

At block 710 the telecommunication device selects or prioritizesselection of infrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on themobility management algorithm. The mobility management algorithm can usethe weighted values associated with the BTS class identifier from eachof the plurality of infrastructure equipment. The mobility managementalgorithm can also consider other quality of service criteria, such assignal strength and signal quality, for each infrastructure equipment.Other criteria such as movement speed of the telecommunication deviceand user preferences can also be considered. In some embodiments,infrastructure equipment can be removed from consideration based on acalculated movement speed of the telecommunication device. The mobilitymanagement algorithm can process the available quality of servicecriteria and the BTS class information to select an infrastructureequipment. In instances where the BTS class identifiers are the same,the mobility management algorithm can rely on traditional quality ofservice criteria to select an infrastructure equipment.

Depending on the implementation, the routine 700 can be implemented tooccur continuously, periodically, and/or based on the occurrence ofspecific events, such as movement. In some embodiments, after an initialselection, the source infrastructure equipment have an additional biasor weighted value associated with it to help reduce unnecessarytransitions from one infrastructure equipment to another.

FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a flow chart for an infrastructure handovermanagement routine 800. Illustratively, the routine 800 can be performedby the mobility management service 140. The handover management routinecan determine whether to transfer an active communication channel, suchas an ongoing call or data session, from a source infrastructureequipment to a target infrastructure equipment.

At block 802, a request for handover relating to a telecommunicationdevice is received. The handover may be requested by thetelecommunication device, by the source infrastructure equipment, or bya neighboring infrastructure equipment.

At block 804, one or more target infrastructure equipment are identifiedthat are available for handover. The available infrastructure equipmentcan be identified by geographic position of the telecommunication deviceand its relation the coverage areas of the one or more targetinfrastructure equipment.

At block 806, the BTS class of each infrastructure equipment, source andtarget, is identified. The BTS class is associated, at least in part,with a coverage area of the infrastructure equipment. The BTS class ofthe infrastructure equipment can be provided by a BTS class identifier.The BTS class identifier can include one or more characteristics aboutthe infrastructure equipment. For example, each BTS class identifier canidentify a BTS class associated with the infrastructure equipment and,in some embodiments, provide additional operational characteristics,such as a data rate associated with the infrastructure equipment, powerlevel, bit rate, signal quality, signal strength, number of connectedtelecommunication device, and other operational characteristics.

At block 808, the mobility management service can, optionally, utilizemovement data associated with the telecommunication device. A movementspeed of the telecommunication device can be determined using movementdata, such as GPS data and/or an accelerometer data. In some embodimentsthe mobility management service or telecommunication device can predictmovement based on the movement data. For example, in one embodiment themobility management service or telecommunication device can calculate avelocity vector having a movement speed and a direction.

At block 810, the mobility management service determines a weightedvalue associated with each BTS class identifier. The weighted valueassigned to each BTS class identifier can be determined by the serviceprovider, data stored in the telecommunication device, or other sourcefor determining the initial basis for each weighted value. The weightedvalue assigned to each BTS class identifier can be based, at least inpart, on the geographic size associated with the BTS class. The weightedvalues of the BTS class identifiers can be used to create a bias forspecific classes of cells, or a general bias for smaller or largercells. The weighted values can be based on cost, data rates, networktraffic, user subscription plans, or other criteria. In someembodiments, the weighted values associated with each BTS classidentifier can be updated periodically by the service provider. Based onthe BTS class identifiers provided by each infrastructure equipment, themobility management service can determine the weighted values associatedwith each infrastructure equipment. In some embodiments, theinfrastructure equipment can be ranked according to the BTS class.

In some embodiments, the movement speed can then be used to adjust theweights assigned to each BTS class identifier. In some embodiments,movement data can be an additional factor in the mobility managementalgorithm. In some embodiments, the movement data can be used to adjustthe weighted values associated with each BTS class identifier. In someembodiments, the movement data can be used to as an initialdetermination, such as a threshold, to determine whether or not toconsider a handover request from a target infrastructure equipment.

At block 812, the mobility management service processes the handoverrequest based on the mobility management algorithm. The request isprocessed based, at least in part, on the weighted values associated theBTS class identifier from each of the plurality of infrastructureequipment. In addition to the weighted values associated with the BTSclass identifier, the mobility management algorithm can consider otherquality of service criteria, such as signal strength and signal quality,for each infrastructure equipment. Other criteria such as movement speedof the telecommunication device and user preferences can also beconsidered. In some embodiments, an infrastructure equipment can beremoved from consideration based on a calculated movement speed of thetelecommunication device. In instances where the BTS class identifiersare the same, the mobility management service can rely on traditionalquality of service criteria to select an infrastructure equipment.

In some instances, the handover request is denied and the sourceinfrastructure equipment does not handover communication to a targetinfrastructure equipment. For example, a telecommunication deviceconnected to a macro-cell, may receive a handover request from afemto-cell. The mobility management service may determine, based on themobility management algorithm, to not handover to the femto-cell. Insome instances, there is a handoff of the telecommunication device fromthe source infrastructure equipment to one of the target infrastructureequipment.

All of the processes described herein may be embodied in, and fullyautomated via, software code modules executed by one or more generalpurpose computers or processors, which may also run in virtual machineson one or more physical computing units. The code modules may be storedin any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storagedevice. Some or all the methods may alternatively be embodied inspecialized computer hardware. In addition, the components referred toherein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or acombination thereof. As such, reference in the disclosure to actionsperformed by a module or component relates to the execution ofexecutable instructions by a processing device, or devices, to cause thereferenced action to be performed.

Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understoodwithin the context as used in general to convey that certain embodimentsinclude, while other embodiments do not include, certain features,elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generallyintended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any wayrequired for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodimentsnecessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input orprompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included orare to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is to be understood with thecontext as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may beeither X, Y or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generallyintended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, atleast one of Y and at least one of Z to each be present.

Any process descriptions, elements or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown, or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following Claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for selecting ainfrastructure equipment in a wireless communication network by atelecommunication device, the method comprising: receiving from each ofa plurality of infrastructure equipment a base transceiver station classidentifier, wherein the BTS class identifier is associated with acomputing device in communication with a switching center; assigning aweighted value to each of the computing device in communication with aswitching center identifiers based, at least in part, on the geographiccoverage area associated with the computing device in communication witha switching center; and selecting a target infrastructure equipmentbased, at least in part, on the weighted value associated with thecomputing device in communication with a switching center identifiers.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprisingdetermining a quality of service criteria associated with each of theplurality of infrastructure equipment.
 3. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein selecting the target infrastructure equipmentis based, at least in part, on the quality of service criteria.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein in selecting the targetinfrastructure equipment includes using quality of service criteria toselect the target infrastructure equipment when computing device incommunication with a switching center identifiers of the plurality ofinfrastructure equipment is the same.
 5. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, wherein the weighted value of the base transceiver stationclass identifier associated with a smaller geographic area is greaterthan the weighted value of the base transceiver station class identifierassociated with a larger geographic area.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1 further comprising ranking each of the plurality ofinfrastructure equipment according to the base transceiver station classidentifier.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thebase transceiver station class identifier comprises a first identifierand a second identifier, wherein each identifier is associated with aninfrastructure equipment characteristic.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 7, wherein each infrastructure equipment characteristicscomprise one of geographic class, power, data rate, number of connectedusers, and infrastructure equipment power level.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising determining amovement speed of the telecommunication device.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the movement speed isbased, at least in part, on location data.
 11. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 9, wherein selecting the target infrastructure equipmentis based, at least in part, on the movement speed of thetelecommunication device.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein assigning the weighted values to each base transceiverstation class identifiers based, at least in part based, on preferencesfrom the telecommunication device.
 13. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1 further comprising determining a velocity vector of thetelecommunication device.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim13, wherein the velocity vector is based, at least in part, on locationdata.
 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprisingpredicting movement of the telecommunication device based, at least inpart, on the velocity vector.
 16. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 15, wherein the selecting a target infrastructure equipment isbased, at least in part, on the predicted movement of thetelecommunication device.
 17. A non-transitory computer readable mediumhaving a computer-executable component for selecting a infrastructureequipment in a wireless communication network by a telecommunicationdevice, the computer-executable component comprising: a mobilitymanagement module operative to: receive from each of a plurality ofinfrastructure equipment a base transceiver station class identifier,wherein the base transceiver station class identifier is associated witha BTS class; assign a weighted value to each of the base transceiverstation class identifiers based, at least in part, on the geographiccoverage area associated with the base transceiver station class; andselect a target infrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on theweighted base transceiver station class identifiers.
 18. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the mobility managementmodule is further configured to determine quality of service criteriaassociated with each of the plurality of infrastructure equipment. 19.The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the mobilitymanagement module is further configured to select the targetinfrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on the quality ofservice criteria.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, whereinthe weighted value of a base transceiver station class identifierassociated with a smaller geographic area is greater than the weightedvalue of a base transceiver station class identifier associated with alarger geographic area.
 21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17,wherein the BTS class identifier comprises a first identifier and asecond identifier, wherein each identifier is associated with aninfrastructure equipment characteristic.
 22. The computer-readablemedium of claim 21, wherein each infrastructure equipmentcharacteristics comprise one of geographic size, data rate, number ofconnected users, and infrastructure equipment power level.
 23. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the mobility managementmodule further configured to determine a movement speed of thetelecommunication device.
 24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23,wherein the movement speed is based, at least in part, on location data.25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the mobilitymanagement module is further configured to select the targetinfrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on the movement speedof the telecommunication device.
 26. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 17, wherein the mobility management module is further configuredto assign weighted values associated with the base transceiver stationclass identifiers based, at least in part based, on preferences from thetelecommunication device.
 27. A telecommunication device for selecting ainfrastructure equipment in a wireless communication network, thetelecommunication device comprising: a data store; and a processor incommunication with a data store, the processor operative to executeinstructions stored in one or more modules on the data store, a mobilitymanagement component operative to: receive from each of a plurality ofinfrastructure equipment a base transceiver station class identifier,wherein the BTS class identifier is associated with a base transceiverstation class; assign a weighted value to each of the BTS classidentifiers based, at least in part, on the geographic coverage areaassociated with the base transceiver station class; and select a targetinfrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on the weighted basetransceiver station class identifiers.
 28. The system of claim 27,wherein the mobility management module is further configured todetermine quality of service criteria associated with each of theplurality of infrastructure equipment.
 29. The system of claim 28,wherein the mobility management module is further configured to selectthe target infrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on thequality of service criteria.
 30. The system of claim 27, wherein theweighted value of the base transceiver station class identifierassociated with a smaller geographic area is greater than the weightedvalue of a BTS class identifier associated with a larger geographicarea.
 31. The system of claim 27, wherein the base transceiver stationclass identifier comprises a first identifier and a second identifier,wherein each identifier is associated with an infrastructure equipmentcharacteristic.
 32. The system of claim 31, wherein each infrastructureequipment characteristics comprise one of geographic size, data rate,number of connected users, and infrastructure equipment power level. 33.The system of claim 27, wherein the mobility management module furtherconfigured to determine a movement speed of the telecommunicationdevice.
 34. The system of claim 33, wherein the movement speed is based,at least in part, on location data.
 35. The system of claim 33, whereinthe mobility management module is further configured to select thetarget infrastructure equipment based, at least in part, on the movementspeed of the telecommunication device.
 36. The system of claim 27,wherein the mobility management module is further configured to assignweighted values associated with the base transceiver station classidentifiers based, at least in part based, on preferences from thetelecommunication device.